Intuitive eating

jual76usa

Hello everyone, after losing a ton of weight and getting in great shape during my time in Iraq, I am back to square one, I am as heavy as I have ever been and wanting to make some lasting changes this time. I am weighting 254 lbs and I am 6 feet, my ideal weight is probably 210 and I must manage to lose 44 lbs for the sake of my health. I must begin by saying that I am a compulsive eater, everytime I feel stress out or sad, I begin to eat like a mad man, I am particularly found on sweets when I go on this binges, sneaker's ice cream and tres leches are my poison of choice. I have three small children and it is often chaotic at home, I love being a dad but I often feel overwhelmed by the share amount of things that I must managed to do before going to bed.

When I lost weight the first time, I was eating fairly well, taking supplements and exercising compulsively, in Iraq, it was easy to find time to exercise two times per day (sometimes three), I obviously do not have that luxury now. I also feel that despite my success, I failed in making some lasting changes to the way I eat. I recently finish a book called "Normal Eating for Normal Weight," it teaches you to begin to listen to your body again, it is not a easy fix and it takes a lot of work but I am convinced that if I am able to master the system, I will begin to see some lasting changes. I want to learn how to stop eating when I am full (even if there is still some food in my plate), I want to be able to differentiate when I am really hungry from when I am "emotionally" hungry, this seems to be the only way to really make a lasting change.

I do not feel very healthy right now and I am determined to get this right.

cpegasus01

We are all behind you on this 100%! You can do this.

starwhisperer

Good luck! And thank you for your service. I think you have a pretty good point here. Most of the naturally slender people in my life seem to follow this idea without much thought. It is hard to break away from hearing my mom's voice in my head, "clean your plate! There are starving kids in Africa who which they had that food." lol it would probably do much for my waist if I could.

caramel1920

I thought my mom was the only one who said that at the dinner table! LOL

starwhisperer

don't you love mom thinking?!

rwd5046

You've made the first important step. Keep going and you'll find what works best for you. You have to make time for yourself to excerise and make that a part of your daily life. Early morning is what works best for me. Just find what works for you and you will succeed.

dls06

I found if I put smaller portions on my plate I don't have to leave anything. Only make enough for you and whoever you are cooking for to have 1 serving so there is not chance to over eat. I live alone so when I come home from the store I freeze meats and fish in single 4-6 oz. serving portions. When I cook meat I add a ton of no salt seasoning or brush it with mustard and grill most of them. It adds a lot of flavor. If I make potaotes, I only make 1 small, 4-6 oz and most of the time it's sweet potatoes. If I can only find large potatoes I only put 1/2 on my plate and put the other 1/2 in the frig for the next day and add 1 tsp of smart balance olive oil. I will make extra veggies so if I am still hungry after I finish, I just eat another serving of them. I always have a salad after dinner, no croutons and only a tbls of full fat dressing.
I very rarely make sauces or gravy, They are full of calories. I will allow myself to have a tbls of barbeque sauce or ketchup if I need something. Egg Whites are another almost free food. Again I add Veggies and put it on a low carb pita. Thomas's sahara mini's.
Low carb low cal whole wheat bread, pitas and tortilla's are great for sandwiches. I only use 1 oz of meat and 1/2-1 slice of cheese depending on the type. I add veggies to make it more filling. Tomato, lettuce, hot peppers. I use Mayo with olive oil or mustard. But only a little.
If I have pasta, it's whole wheat and I only make 1 oz. with a ton of veggies and tomatoes. Put the pasta in the sauce after its cooked so it absorbes all the flavor and the portions are large because of all the veggies. I don't miss alll the pasta.
I don't exercise. I know it's not something I will keep up so why bother. That's just me.
I have learned to eat less calories and it has worked for me and I rarely feel hungry.
Good luck and Welcome home. :flowerforyou:

dietpop

One trick for not clearing your plate is to eat with chop sticks! You eat more slowly and everything falls off before you get it to your mouth.

SueInAz

Another trick for portion control is to use a smaller plate. Use a 7" lunch-sized plate rather than those huge 10" dinner plates. Your plate will still look full but you'll be eating much less.

Also chew your food slowly. It takes awhile before your brain gets the message that your stomach is full. If you're eating more slowly, you'll have eaten less before that message comes through.

Good luck!